Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi is the Master of Kung Fu and son of the infamous Fu Manchu. After discovering the truth about his father's evil machinations, Shang-Chi vowed to stand against him and became an agent of MI6. Since then, he continues to use his exceptional martial arts skills to fight against injustice. Shang-Chi is currently an active member of the Avengers. Origin Shang-Chi, who's name can be interpreted as "a rising and advancing spirit" was born in Hunan province in China, son to a wealthy international crime lord named Fu Manchu and an unknown American woman genetically selected by his father. Trained privately by the greatest masters of various disciplines, Chinese and otherwise, Shang had limited contact with his parents. When he did see his father, his father told him that all of his training was being directed toward some sort of great humanitarian goal, as his father manipulated Shang into thinking that he was a philanthropist. When the time finally came for Shang to face the outside world and carry out this mission, he was transported to England, where his mission was assassination. He knew nothing other than to honor his father with complete loyalty, so after stealthily sneaking into his target's home, he killed who he thought was an evil man in one swift strike. British secret agent Sir Dennis Nayland-Smith arrived on the scene in time to catch Shang, but of course couldn't keep him there. Shang later sought out his mother, now living in London, who then told him the truth about her former husbands life of crime and evil. At that time, Shang swore to become his father's enemy, and do whatever it would take to topple his evil empire. Power and Abilities Although possessing no superpowers, Shang-Chi has a lifetime of combat training behind him and is an expert in all known forms of terrestrial martial arts, enabling him to equal and best many superhumans. He is highly revered as the "Master of Kung-Fu." Although he prefers to fight empty-handed, Shang-Chi can also formidably use any martial arts weapon and is skilled at improvising weapons out of ordinary objects in his environment. Shang-Chi is a master of meditation and relaxation techniques as well, allowing him to receive psychic premonitions, limit the spread of toxins in his blood stream, and render his pain receptors insensitive. Shang-Chi is also a skilled teacher, having most famously trained Spider-Man to become a skilled martial artist and having helped him develop a unique fighting style that complemented his spider powers. Abilities Shang's mastery of chi, allows him to disperse physical trauma across his entire body (as opposed to accumulating at any single point) and strike with enough force to break through reinforced steel. On many occasions, he has also demonstrated the ability to dodge and deflect bullets from automatic weapons after they've been fired, and he is quick and agile enough to keep up with the likes of Spider-Man. While possessing no superhuman senses, Shang-Chi is highly attuned to his surroundings thanks to his training and having spent most of his life thwarting his father's assassins. He is able to pinpoint the breathing and heart beats of silent aggressors, as well as the distant loading of firearms by gunmen. On one occasion he was even able to detect the precise location of Jean Grey and Cyclops, cloaked by the former's psionic powers. He has also demonstrated the ability to sense small changes in the environment that would be unnoticed by most others, as demonstrated during his mission in the No Zone. Due to his training, Shang-Chi is also less susceptible to mental attacks than most humans, having been able to resist the influence of the Queen during Spider Island, and maintaining autonomy after being converted by Mister Negative's powers. Weapons and Equipment Shang-Chi is usually seen with a pair of bracers made of an unknown material, but known to be durable enough to deflect bullets. He is skilled with (and often utilizes) a wide variety of weapons, including the nunchaku, various types of swords, bo staff, Kali sticks, throwing stars and knives. After joining the Avengers, Tony Stark provided him with a pair of high tech nunchaku capable of discharging electricity as well as a pair of gauntlets capable of projecting energy blades. Category:Protagonists Category:Avengers